Comedy standing the test of time

Taking a cue from some of the comments in the 'least funny comedian' thread.... what's the oldest comedy material that you still find genuinely belly-laugh funny (as opposed to 'I've read the notes so I'll laugh to show everyone' or 'this guy is an icon so he must be funny')?

I still find Laurel and Hardy genuinely and consistently funny, unlike Chaplin, who leaves me cold, or Keaton, who I find clever more than funny. PG Wodehouse's stories can make me chuckle out loud, but I think while I appreciate the humour in the great writers like Dickens, Trollope, Swift, Austen et al, it raises a smile rather than a laugh.

Although it started before I was born, Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh, Beyond our Ken and Round the Horne. Still sharp as ever 60+ years later and often on R4Ex when R4 is playing the Sunday am God-slot.And here in glorious mono-colour

Agree about Beyond Our Ken and Round the Horne. So funny, but alas perhaps not PC in terms of enlightened attitudes to same sex relationships. Can't believe I just said that.

M*A*S*H is still on some obscure TV channel. This is consistently good IMHO. Worth revisiting. And it hasn't dated.

If you're feeling suicidal, don't listen to anything at 6.30 p.m. on Radio 4 in what is allegedly a 'comedy slot'. You will lose the will to live completely. As BJ says, have a poke (ooh matron) about on Radio 4 Extra. Definitely some gems there. Hancock possibly.

And you know, looking back, the Pythons and Flowery Twats look a bit tired.

@RT. I watched a bit a few years ago and the added laughter track was dreadful. Ruined it for me. I assume it was there to tell stupid people when to laugh. As it was all about a balance of pathos and black humour it was totally innapropriate too.

The Phil Silvers Show, Laurel & Hardy, some MPFC, Tom & Jerry (the Chuck Jones years, I think - when only Spike talked), some Pink Panther films, agree with Oxbridge re Fawlty Towers, occasionally Morecambe & Wise but always the heel joke at about 3:50 in The Case of the Mukkinese Battle-Horn.

ah yes, Tom & Jerry, and many other cartoons of that era were excellent, before they all got bowdlerised. I'd forgotten Round the Horne to, which still works. Never really got the Marx brothers. Many of the other shows quoted are 60s and 70s though - nothing much before that? no edgy humour from WW2?

The heel joke! My Goodness! I've quoted that so often my daughters quote it. And it was before I was born!

We used to have the LP of the Best of Rambling Syd Rumpo. Played it to death. I used to know all the words. Don't really like Keneth Williams but this still makes me laugh. "Well, tonight I shall have great pleasure , but first of all..." Hello my Dearios

Ollie: Go ahead and drink your half.
[Stanley drinks the entire soda]
Ollie: [Ollie picks up the glass and finds it empty. He gives Stan a shameful look, making him hang his head] Do you know what you've done?
[nods]
Ollie: What made you do it?
Stan: I couldn't help it.
Ollie: Why?
Stan: My half was on the bottom.

I'll put forward Airplane, though it's more recent. Leslie Nielsen did a few skits on Airplane and Police Squad similar to Abbott and Costello's 'Who's on First?' sketch (Captain Oveur etc. and Once shot Twice), so I'll throw that sketch into the mix too.

Lots of great stuff above, tho it's difficult to find the old stuff these days despite hundreds of TV channels (loads of shit from the last 30yrs).
Still great - some 80s alternative stuff, Young Ones, Porridge, Morecambe & Wise, Ronnie Barker (Ronnies/Porridge), Milligan, some of the Pythons (a lot now dated), Laurel & Hardy, Carry Ons, Pete & Dud.

Bit young for Round the horn/Goons but can appreciate their importance in history. It's like everything, it was ground-breaking when they did it, then everyone copied them and it became mainstream. A bit like standup, in the 80s you had maybe 1 or 2 shows a week of proper standup, now there are 5 a night or mediocre bods who keep Jongleurs running.

Supposedly more cultured friends of mine still tell me Dickens/Chaucer/Shakespeare are still hilarious/current but we all know that's utter shite !

Oh nearly forgot Richard E Grant's recent series reminded me how great (and still funny) a lot of the Ealing comedies are.

Just read Marty Feldman's newly discovered autobiography - brilliant! Comedy genius in my opinion and much of it still works today. He wrote for Round the Horne of course and so much more. Best of all, some of his stuff is available here: